C'mon - aren't you tired of 'Hamburger Helper" and frozen store-bought casseroles? Those are great in a pinch, but even in these busy times, it IS still possible to serve your family a delicious hot, homemade meal! Pair most of these entrees with a tossed salad, and the meal is onyour table in about 30 minutes. Use of some of the new pre-cooked beef products in these recipes to cut your cooking time by 10-15 minutes (ground beef, sirloin strips, beef tips are all available in the meat section of most supermarkets)! Pre-packaged green salads come in a variety of mixes, and are actually pretty economical if you are going to buy all the ingredients for your salad separately anyway.

Special thanks to Debbie Vandiver at the Alabama Cattlemen's Association (www.bamabeef.org), Brian Hardin at the ALFA Alabama Pork Producers' Association (www.alfafarmers.org) and Southern Living (www.southernliving.com) for some of these recipes. Other sources includeThe ACES Auburn Cookbook, available from your local county Extension Office.

Brown beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is crumbly and no longer pink. Drain and season with salt and pepper. Stir in slaw mix and hoisin or soy sauce; heat thoroughly. Spread of the meat mixture (about 1 c.) evenly over eachtortilla, leaving 1 1/2-in. border on all sides. Fold right and left edges of tortilla over filling; fold bottom edge up over filling, then roll up in jelly-roll fashion. Place seam-side down on places, cut inhalf if desired. Serve with additional sauce. Yields 4 servings.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl; place fish in a single layer on a cookie sheet or in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the crumb mixture and bake 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serves 4.

*CAJUN CHICKEN STRIPS (A quick and spicy way to prepare chicken -serve with wild rice, French bread and salad. Hint: raw meats slice moreeasily if you allow them to partially freeze first!)

In a large plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients. Add the chicken strips, half at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter for 8-10 minutes or until the juices runclear. Serve over hot cooked wild rice.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture in the center of each foil sheet. Bring up 2 sides of each foil sheet, and double-fold with about 1-in. wide folds. Double-fold each end to form a packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside eachpacket. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes. Open foil packets CAREFULLY, allowing steam to escape. Yields 4 servings.

Preheat oven to 350. Place oven bag in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add flour; twist end of oven bag, and shake. Add pineapple and next 4 ingredients to oven bag; squeeze bag to blend ingredients. Arrange chicken in an even layer over rice mixture. Close oven bag with nylon tie; cut 6 (1/2-in.) slits in top of bag. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes. Serves 4.

*CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS (One whole roasted chicken - which can bepurchased at most local grocery stores nowadays -- OR six boneless,skinless cooked chicken breast halves yields about 3 cups choppedmeat. Also, you might want to use drained canned chicken in a pinch.)

Bring the first five ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often. Separate biscuits in half, forming 2 rounds; cut each round in half. Drop biscuit dough, 1 at a time, into the boiling mixture; stir gently. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*CHICKEN-CORN TETRAZZINI (Prepare two of these easy casseroles and placeone in the freezer for an emergency!)

Sautee onion in a large nonstick skillet coated with vegetable cooking spray. Remove from heat. Stir in cream-style corn and next 6 ingredients until blended; pour mixture into a lightly greased 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Serves 4 to 6.

*CHILI-BEEF EXPRESS (Fast to the table with no fussing from the cook,this chili recipe requires almost NO preparation time - the perfect supperfor hectic weeknights.)

In a large non-stick skillet, brown beef over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is crumbly and no longer pink. Drain and season with salt and pepper. Stir in beans, tomatoes and corn; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle withcilantro before serving; top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese if desired.

*CHUCKWAGON BEEF & PASTA SKILLET (This one-skillet dish, featuringwagon-wheel pasta and hickory-flavored BBQ sauce, will be a hit with thekids. Use your favorite BBQ sauce for a different taste sensation.)

Brown beef, bell pepper and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is crumbly and no longer pink. Drain. Stir in broth, pasts, BBQ sauce and water; bring to aboil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until pasta is almost tender. Uncover skillet and continue cooking 5-7 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese before serving. Yields four 1 1/2 c. servings.

Brown beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet, stirring until meat crumbles. Drain and return mixture to skillet. Stir in tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; cook until heated. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 to 6servings.

*GOLDEN FISH FILLETS (The potato flakes form a wonderful, crispy goldencrust around the fish while the mustard adds the perfect flavor.)

Lightly beat egg, mustard, and salt in shallow dish. Place potato flakes in another shallow dish. If fillets are large, cut in for easier handling. Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot; dip fish fillets inegg mixture and then coat in potato flakes. Fry 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and flakes easily with a fork. Serves 4.

*GRILLED RED, WHITE & BEEF SALAD (Although this recipe can be prepared in30 minutes or so, the meat does need to be marinated about 6 hours orovernight before cooking.)

*ORIENTAL BEEF SKILLET (A fast one-dish meal using ground beef, ramennoodles and frozen veggies to speed preparation. Although the recipe hasnoodles, you may still wish to serve with or over a side dish of instantfluffy white rice.)

Break the noodles into a medium bowl. Sprinkle with just one of the seasoning packets. Cover with 2 c. boiling water, stir and allow to sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In a large skillet or wok, brown ground beef until done; drain. Add scallions and sprinkle with the contents of the remaining seasoning packet. Cook an additional 1 minute. Add the noodles and water in which they were soaking, frozen veggies, and soy sauce. Cover and bring to simmer; cook until vegetables are tender (about 5-7 minutes). Serves 4-6.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish; dredge pork chops in flour mixture. Over medium-high heat, get oil ready and fry chops in 3 batches about 1 minute on each side or until browned. Drain on paper towels. Serves 6.

*PROVOLONE CHICKEN (The simplicity of this dish belies its flavor. Whilebaking, your kitchen will smell like a pizza parlor! Add a side dish ofcooked pasta, crusty bread and a salad - Olive Garden, look out!)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place bread crumbs in a flat dish and firmly press both sides of the chicken into the crumbs. Place coated chicken pieces in a greased 9 x 13-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and top with cheese. Dot with butter and bake 20 minutes or until done. Serve with buttered pasta. Yields 4 servings.

Preheat oven to 350. Place oven bag in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add flour to oven bag; twist end of bag, and shake. Add cubed chicken and next 6 ingredients to oven bag; squeeze bag to blend ingredients. Arrange ingredients in an even layer. Close oven bag with nylon tie; cut 6(1/2-in.) slits in top of bag. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Serves 4.